Protect Me
by Leanne Ash
Summary: [Gaara x Sakura] She was day, he was night. He was death, she was life. Witness the events of a perfect less than perfect pairing. But are they growing together, or slowly falling apart?
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: this was originally a one-shot fic, but I've been enjoying myself far too much with this one (I don't think it'll go any longer than 3 chapters though). It's not really an AU… it's just something that I like to imagine happening somewhere in the 3 year gap of Naruto. Don't think too much on the timeline, but remember that Gaara is older than Sakura by a year.I love Gaara… don't even get me started. Anyway, the story Sand Glass by Celtic Oak was the key inspiration for this fic. The concept was brilliant so I decided to follow in her footsteps. Celtic ownz.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But I own the stuffed Gaara doll sitting on my bed :)

* * *

_"Well that's what we do, we fight... You tell me when I'm being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you're a pain in the ass. Which you are, 99 percent of the time! I'm not afraid to hurt your feelings. You have a two second rebound rate, then you're back doing the next pain-in-the-ass thing. So it's not going to be easy. It's going to be really hard. We're going to have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day."_ - The Notebook

**Protect Me  
**Leanne Ashley

Her eyes fluttered open when she felt the warm trickle of blood escape her lips. She was dying. Worse, she was dying slowly. The relentless grip enveloping her fragile body clenched harder, crushing her and denying her oxygen. Her mouth opened in a silent scream of agony as certain parts of her body, her mind too distracted by torment to figure out which parts, began to snap from the pressure.

_Stop… Please stop…_ She didn't know how to make it stop. She didn't know how to make _him_ stop. He had lost control of Shukaku, the demon housed inside him, and was hell-bent on killing her at all costs. 

She had angered the demon. She was the one who had kept its host sane. She was the one who had the utterly impossible ability of calming the anger, the jealousy and the desperation to kill. To the now raging monster, _she_ was the demon.

Helpless tears escaped her bright green eyes as the world surrounding her began to collapse. Bound by the relentless sea of sand, Sakura knew the darkness was coming. All was dissipating in a murky swirl of obscure shapes and colors. He was killing her. The unlikely person she had learned to love most was killing her.

And as the sand swirled around him, arm outstretched, fist straining to close, he growled softly through the twisted smirk on his face: "…I love you."

_Gaara…_

_Please don't kill me… I'll lose you if you kill me._

* * *

"Haruno Sakura." 

The deep, emotionless tone sent a slight shiver down her spine as she reluctantly turned to respond.

"What is it?" Sakura tried to keep her own voice calm and reserved, trying her best to hide the fact that she was surprised he remembered her name.

She was met with jade colored eyes encased within thick black shadows. Fiery red hair pushed every which way by the sand-filled breeze fell across the Chinese character 'love' displayed at the side of his forehead. It had been a good number of years since she last saw him: Gaara, the feared and legendary shinobi of the desert.

Familiar trademarks aside, atseventeen years of age Gaara, the young Kazekage of Suna, had grown up quite a bit. He was taller, handsomer, and it was evident that the skinny boy had become toned and muscular over the years, hiding it modestly under his traditional dark red attire.

Sakura had matured as well. After growing into her wide-forehead, she was often told that she had become the most beautiful girl in Konoha, surpassing even the lovely, yet disturbingly misleading, Tsunade. Her vibrantly pink hair was kept short, as it wasn't as distracting during battles. Though she still wore the same similar apparel, it was evident that a graceful, slender body had developed beneath… a feature she was secretly proud of.

As attractive as she was, Sakura still hadn't gotten a boyfriend. Over the years of pining over her first love Sasuke, maturity finally kicked in and she was able to let him go, preparing to offer a welcoming friendship with his safe return to Konoha.

But finding a boyfriend was the least of her worries as she stared into the stern eyes of a man once claimed to be as deadly as he was mentally unstable.

"Why were you sent here?"

The word 'you' was practically spat on, kicked at, and smeared promptly into the sand as he continued to stare nonchalantly, arms folded across his chest in his usual trademark stance.

Sakura tried to ignore the obvious lashing and folded her own arms in a challenging manner. "Suna requested medical assistance from Konoha because of the illness attacking the children."

"That explains why Tsunade is here. I'm asking why _you _are here," he paused. "…hindrance."

She unknowingly balled her hand into a fist._ POUND HIS ASS! _Inner Sakura shrieked. "I am the Hokage's apprentice. I'm here to assist her." She replied through clenched teeth.

Gaara narrowed his eyes and presented her with a slight smirk of amusement. "Is that so? From what I remember, your combat skills are close to useless."

"H-Hey…!" Sakura managed to protest, searching desperately for the nerve to go against his venomous 'observations'. Her own green eyes burned into his as her fury got the best of her. "You don't know anything about me! You don't have the right—!"

"Your chakra skills, on the other hand…" he interrupted as he turned his back on her. "Training as a medical Nin is impressive. Perhaps you have the potential to prove your usefulness."

Sakura blinked. _Ara? Was that suppose to be a compliment?_

She could only stare dumbfounded into Gaara's back as he walked away, seemingly forgetting about her presence instantly.

* * *

Swallowing her fear to the best of her ability, she forced out an angrily determined exterior. 

"Get out of my way!" Sakura managed to snarl.

"No."

"If you don't, I'll be forced to fight you!" The words slipped half-heartedly as she knew it was a damn futile action to consider.

Much to her relief, Gaara ignored it.

"Why are you leaving?"

"Because!" _Because you scare the hell out of me! Because you follow me! Because you take every opportunity to look down on me!_

"I won't allow you to pass without a legitimate reason."

Sakura sighed angrily in frustration. Soon after the sick children of Suna were healed by Tsunade, Sakura was left alone to complete the mission, instructed to keep observation over the children until they were back on their feet. Tsunade, being the fifth Hokage, had other matters to attend to in Konoha.

After the first long day, Sakura had walked sleepily down the streets of Suna to her hotel room when she felt a pair of eyes piercing steadily into her back. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she turned cautiously toward the looming presence.

Sitting upon a not too distant rooftop was Gaara. As he remained perched and unmoving, he watched her intently… angrily… distrustingly. There was so much she couldn't read from his expression as he continued to glare out from those cat-like sapphires. Sakura jumped to the most obvious conclusion: He just plain didn't trust her.

Intimidation getting the best of her, she turned away quickly and entered the hotel room.

In the days that followed, Gaara continued to monotonously scoff at Sakura's presence in his village. Even though the children in the hospital had come to adore her, he would often demand that she leave and quit taking advantage of his hospitality. The verbal assault continued until one day, Sakura expectantly snapped. Letting Inner Sakura reach the surface, she counter-attacked every snide remark he had ever made and called him a sad, pitiful child.

"…And MY combat skills are nothing? You just stand there like you're waiting for some godforsaken bus!"

She wasn't stupid. She predicted that seconds later, a wave of sand would push her right out the window to her death. Gaara, of course, would shrug it off and order someone to write an apology letter to Konoha.

Sakura folded her arms and turned her back on the sand shinobi, waiting for whatever punishment she felt was worth it to smack his ego down a couple notches.

Silence.

Hesitantly, she peaked over her shoulder.

Gaara was in awe. He stared wide-eyed at the pink-haired girl as if she'd gone completely mad… even more so than himself on one of those bad days. For a large majority of his life, people had feared him and would surely bite their tongues to bloody pieces before talking back to him. But, this girl… Haruno Sakura… he half expected her to retract the verbal kick-in-the-crotch and beg for forgiveness, but she merely gazed back at him from over her shoulder.

He looked away from her, as if the criticism beaming from her shiny emerald eyes was enough to burn his own retinas to ashes. In a fit of sand, Gaara vanished from her sight.

That night, as she again wandered sleepily toward her hotel room, she gazed up to find Gaara sitting on his favorite rooftop. It wasn't a surprise anymore; he was always up there. Though his stare continued to make her feel uneasy.

Approaching the hotel, she failed to see the pail of water that had been left out on the entrance steps. She cried out in surprise as her footing stumbled against the unexpected obstacle. Her state-of-mind was too exhausted to alert her normally quick reflexes as she fell backwards…

Not to the ground, however, but into the arms of a certain red-haired shinobi. Gaara caught her easily from behind, supporting her effortlessly with a single arm wrapped around her waist. Releasing her, he grunted a sort of quiet disdain for her clumsiness and disappeared quickly.

She blinked in confusion from the sudden ordeal and arched an eyebrow when the realization hit her: Why didn't he just use his sand…?

The next night, Gaara wasn't on the rooftop. Instead, he stood in the shadows… confused as to why he was following Sakura to her hotel when he normally just watched her from above. As if on purpose, he avoided any possible effort to properly conceal himself. She discovered his presence instantly.

Angered at being followed, she gave him another verbal onslaught, carelessly thinking that since she had gotten away with it the first time, the second time would be no different.

The misconception could've been fatal as the sand from his gourd surrounded her neck and slammed her into the concrete wall behind her.

She had no right… no right at all.

As he clenched his fist, the sand around Sakura's delicate neck imitated. Her eyes were shut in the midst of her struggling; praying that someone… anyone… could help her. Weakening, her eyes opened… unleashing the clear, sparkling liquid down her cheeks.

Gaara froze. Something inside him began to scream. He was hurting her. He was making her cry.

_Stop… No more! I'm not hurting people anymore!_

The dark shadow rims caging his eyes began to twitch as something else began to counter-attack the screaming. The monster within wanted this girl dead… for her disrespect… her nerve… her bravery.

He began to convulse. The sand instantly dropped Sakura as Gaara fell to his knees. Gasping desperately for air, she watched in fear as Gaara clutched his chest and began screaming bloody-murder in hysterics.

Her own hands began to shake as she tried pleading with Gaara for some kind of sanity. It was her worst fear that she had awakened the monster by her own bitchful stupidity. As she clutched his shoulders, he whipped out his arm instinctively and nearly knocked her unconscious. However, persistence was another of Sakura's stronger aspects. Ignoring the throbbing pain upon her cheek, she crawled back to his side and proceeded in calming him down. After what seemed like an eternity of clawing and thrashing, Gaara gave one final cry of anguish before passing out against Sakura's chest.

The boy's features slowly changed from twisted and tormented to calm and child-like as she held him in her arms. She stared down at him sympathetically… apologetically… a strange feeling beginning to swell in her heart.

It scared her.

Gaara awoke the next morning in the Suna Hospital. He was told soon after that Haruno girl was returning to Konoha that very night.

Her reason for leaving? The children of Suna were healthy once again. There was no other reason to stay. No reason at all.

"My mission here is complete." Sakura stated firmly as Gaara continued to block her passage out of Suna. "That's not legitimate enough for you?"

"No."

Her bright green eyes widened in surprise at his blunt response. _Crap!_

"Wh-what then…?" she unknowingly stuttered. "Are you still angry about what happened? Will you not feel better until you've succeeded in killing me…?"

He didn't respond. He remained placid; arms folded, eyes staring intently.

Sakura instantly began fearing for her life. Disgusted with herself for feeling the slightest bit of affection as he slept peacefully in her arms.

"Looks like I'm still in your way," he observed. "…so fight me."

She scowled at him, a look of pure distrust shadowing her features.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at her hesitation and began walking toward her, stopping only a few feet from where Sakura stood nervously.

"I'm not doing anything," he informed darkly. "hit me."

Sakura considered the option with doubt. Gaara had the ultimate sand defense at his disposal, almost no one, least of all someone at her fighting level, could beat it.

"Are you scared, Haruno Sakura?"

She tightened her fist in response. Even though she knew she couldn't land a single scratch, knew it was utterly impossible to penetrate the anticipating barrier of sand, she brought her fist back and slammed it forward with all her might.

The sand flew up instantaneously as expected. But what she didn't expect was that the sand, rather then manifesting a wall, wrapped quickly around her wrists and bound them up beside her head. Instinctively, she struggled against her confines and gasped when Gaara suddenly appeared closely infront of her, staring her hard in the eyes a mere couple inches from her face.

Before she could protest, he closed the small gap between them and aggressively captured her lips with his own. Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as Gaara continued to kiss her… hard… forcing her to acknowledge the dominance he held over her.

Her breathing became rapid as mixed emotions began to heat her skin. She contemplated in a haze whether or not to kiss him back. Sakura's shock lead to a lack of participation, which led to Gaara biting down non-too gently on her lower lip. The sensation struck a nerve in her spine as she parted her lips, allowing him access to slip his tongue in and glide it against her own. Whether or not her mind had gotten over the confusion, her body reacted to his touches. While one strong arm kept her body tightly embraced against his, the other was positioned gently at her cheek, stroking the bruised skin and feeling the soft pink strands of hair between his callused fingertips.

It was something Gaara had longed to touch ever since she first stepped foot in Suna.

* * *

"_If you leave, I'll come after you."_

"_I-I don't understand. Why are you telling me this…? Gaara?"_

"_Because you belong to me."_

The almost threatening conversation had been all that was said after Sakura broke the kiss, pushing away from his chest and nearly stumbling as she did so.

Gaara stepped reluctantly out of her way before calmly declaring the consequence of her departure.

She walked cautiously past him. He didn't blink, flinch, or attempt to make any direct eye contact as she watched him suspiciously.

The kiss wasn't bad. It had been pretty damn good actually.

She recalled on it rather pleasantly as she journeyed back to Konoha, a bright shade of crimson flushing her cheeks at the memory of his lips, his embrace… his surprising warmth…

He had stated plainly that if she were to leave, he would come after her… yet as she marched defiantly past him, he hadn't moved a muscle.

Perhaps it had been a lie…

Sakura paused in a clearing to rest, staring down at her shoes in disappointment. Disappointment? Disappointment…! Had she gone completely mad? Not only was Gaara cold, violent, and mentally unhinged, the guy had practically tried to strangle her to death on account of some half-asleep demon lounging in his body. Why did she care if he did or didn't feel some kind of attraction to her?

Just because he often looked out for her and boosted her determination… or the fact that the way he looked at her was different from the way he looked at anyone else… or how great it felt to have his impressively built body pressed against her own, and…

_Sakura…_ she sighed in defeat. _What the hell are you thinking?_

* * *

Several days later, as the lights of Konoha diminished for the welcoming of night, Sakura lay sleepless in her bed. Resting the side of her head against the cushiony softness of her pillow, she felt unsettled by the newfound emptiness waiting for her upon returning to the village. 

Her friends were around, her family lived close by, but something was missing…

Sakura shivered as the invading breeze played with the delicate sheer curtains of her room. She hadn't remembered opening the window in the first place, but was regretting the assumed action as she hugged her shoulders tightly.

"I'm not good at lying,"

Immediately flushed with panic, her eyes shot open at the familiar dark tone. She turned her head quickly to find Gaara lying over her on all fours, arms trapping her possessively in place.

"so… don't look so shocked."

Gaara was right: She really hadn't expected to see him, let alone have him positioned so seductively over her in the blink of an eye.

And he had hidden his presence so well. It was only then in which she noticed the shifted weight change on her bed. She also noted absently that his sand gourd was leaning against the wall. It was one of the rare times she had seem him without the heavy container strapped to his back.

Supporting himself on one arm, he lifted the other and gently touched the side of her face.

"Sakura…" he murmured softly, stripping the usual formality of including her last name.

"Why are you here?" she whispered back, voice cracking in a confucius whirl of fear and passion for the red-haired boy. .

Gaara stared hard into her eyes, hesitant to grant her the answer that exposed his reluctant vulnerability.

"I need you."

The warmth of his hand left her face as he took hold of both her wrists and pinned them over her head. His grip was strong, controlling; the delicate cherry-blossom unknowingly drove him to mad instincts of desire and passion, property and possession. He needed her. He wanted her. She would be his. He wouldn't let anyone else have her.

Sakura winced at the forceful grip restraining her arms. "Gaara…" she breathed, it was a half-hearted plea to get him to ease off her wrists.

Much to her surprise, he obeyed, and the aggressive hold became gentle as he lowered his head and began distributing delicate kisses down the pale skin of her neck.

Each kiss warmed her skin as she blushed at the surprise of how gentle he was being. Though it appeared to be somewhat difficult for him.

"Shouldn't you be in Suna?" she questioned as she turned her head, giving him better access to her neck.

"That's not important to me at the moment," came the mumbled response.

She smiled wickedly. "And what is?"

He stopped and pulled back to glare at her with a hint of skepticism in his eyes: What kind of question was that? Surely she already knew the answer... The realization dawned on him when he saw the challenging smirk on Sakura's face. It seemed she was out to embarrass him. He didn't like being pushed to verbalize his emotions.

She knew that, of course, but teasing him was helping to put her own nerves at ease for the rather intense situation.

Gaara smirked back at her, but didn't respond to her question. Although in another perspective he did as he brought his lips down forcefully on hers to put himself back in control.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:** Reviews are nice :) Whenever I get one, it's usually enough motivation for me to write at least one new paragraph, jus so you know.. wahaha..well, I'm happy people are enjoying the story. Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed... I'm just so eager to write the nextone (and I believe that'll be the last).

**Protect Me**  
Leanne Ashley

Chapter 2

"Get the hell away from her."

The young man attempting to help Sakura down from a step instantly froze. His eyes could only bug out in sheer terror at the menacing aura raging in his direction.

"Gaara, for Godsakes!" Sakura protested. "He was only trying to help me down!"

"He can _help _elsewhere." Gaara snapped sharply. His expression darkened at the other male. "Why are you still here?"

The young man stumbled backwards in fear as sand immediately began pouring from the gourd on Gaara's back. Panic restoring his motor skills, he got up quickly and ran off screaming in the opposite direction.

Sighing in frustration, she attempted to jump down the high step… not that she needed it in anyway, but there would be no assistance it would seem.

Gaara's dark eyes glanced up in her direction and a stream of sand flew quickly to wrap around her wrist, supporting her as she jumped from the step and onto the pavement.

Ignoring the affectionate gesture, she marched over to him quickly and verbalized her frustrations.

"You have to stop doing that! It was an innocent gesture! You can't keep threatening to kill every male that looks at me! This is Konoha, people shouldn't have to be afraid here! My god, control yourself! You can't just—! I mean, you can't keep—!"

He cocked his head questionably to the side. "Are you finished?"

Gaara had always asked that during their fights.

It was, to put it bluntly, the first warning. He could only tolerate the beginning stages of Sakura's temper tantrums to a point where he would begin unleashing his own.

There were times when he retaliated too far: seething out cruel, cynical remarks until her eyes filled with tears.

Then there were times when he just plain lost control: shoving her violently against the walls, the floors… yelling and gripping tightly at her shoulders till she started crying helplessly, begging him to stop.

The sadistic side of him craved her fear. Sakura was always so confident... and so goddamn sure of herself. When he broke her, if only for a brief moment, a darker side of him felt victory. It was an ugly, unforgivable feeling he just couldn't shake off no matter how hard he tried. When Gaara lost his temper and those feelings, those cravings, were provoked... all hell broke loose in Sakura's direction. Shukaku would see to that.

But her tears had always stopped him.

He would calm down instantly and embrace her tightly against his chest, letting her cry softly into his shoulder. As always, Gaara apologized to the best of his ability and held her for what seemed like hours until she calmed down and eventually grew weary. Following that, he'd carry her to their bed, secure her slender frame in the sheets, and spend the rest of the night pacing the roof; angrily scolding himself for losing his temper yet again at the person who was most precious to him.

_I keep hurting her… I can't stop…Why won't you let me stop?_

The demon inside would never respond.

But that never meant it wasn't listening. Shukaku knew Gaara had been training himself to no longer harm others. He'd gotten quite good at it until Sakura entered his life. With the development of new emotions, love and jealousy in particular, his state-of-mind was slowly growing unstable…

Gaara felt as though he couldn't control anything anymore. He felt outraged whenever another male approached Sakura. He wanted to kill them if even they merely glanced. They had no right. Sakura was his. She was his to protect, to own, to cherish… a possession he refused to share.

There was so much she made him feel. Mentally; the blissful satisfaction of being needed, wanted, thought of, cared for… Physically, the euphoric warmth of being inside her, the touch of her skin, the heat of her kisses… He wouldn't let anyone take that away from him. Every male became a threat.

He'd kill them if he had to.

He'd kill them all.

Luckily, the opportunity to do so never came up. Before he even had a chance to spill any blood, Sakura would usually cause a distraction.

"No, I'm not _finished_!" she snarled. "I can't keep having this same fight with you!"

"Then be finished already!" Gaara snapped in annoyance.

"…Why do you always have to be this way?"

Why, indeed.

After several months of being together, Sakura still wasn't used to his mannerisms. Sometimes she still couldn't believe she was with him… In many ways, Gaara was her complete opposite. She was day, he was night… He was death, she was life. She could feel her free, sun-kissed spirit being slowly crushed under that cascading mass of desert sand… grain by grain. She felt this when he scolded her… insulted her… hurt her in ways both physically and mentally.

Sometimes she wanted to hurt him back.

Sometimes she did. But that always made the situation worse.

That was the obvious downside to being with a man as dangerous as Gaara. But the upside…

Once on late night, she had been wearily half-asleep. Gaara had been on a mission with Naruto and returned to Sakura's apartment later than usual. She could sense him enter her room, but chose not to speak. Perhaps she had been angry, annoyed, or maybe just too damn exhausted from waiting… either way, the satisfaction of knowing he was home was enough. She could allow herself to fall asleep.

A luxury Gaara would never experience.

She expected him, as usual, to head straight to the balcony and spend the night perched on the rooftop, so she was surprised when the mattress shifted and her blanket was pulled up over her exposed shoulder. Most of the time the blanket was pulled down; that was when she knew he had some naughty intentions up his sleeve.

But it was something else this time. She could feel his hand gliding over her cheekbone, gently pushing back the lose strands of hair that fell over her eyes. Warm lips came to rest on her forehead as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Adjusting himself to lie as comfortably as he could on Sakura's bed, he carefully pulled her against him.

The last thing she remembered, as she nuzzled her face against Gaara's neck, was how safe, warm, and… ultimately complete… she felt.

"_Am I the most important person to you?" Gaara asked in a hushed voice. The question was both curious and timid. He was holding an obvious reluctance to know the answer as he sat seemingly lost in thought amongst the summer shade. With his arms perched up on his knees, he leaned his head back against the tree behind him. _

"_Yes," Sakura answered honestly. "you are."_

_She had approached him with uncertainty. Gaara had a habit of disappearing whenever he needed time with his thoughts. If she dared interrupt him, he'd cast her a look and saunter off in a huff. This time, however, she had spotted him at the edge of the woods and was determined to end his persistent solitude._

_Before she had spoken a single word however, he had surprised her by asking that question. _

"_Do you care that I'm not a good person?"_

_Eyebrows raising in confusion, she cautiously took a seat next to him. "Gaara, what are you talking about?"_

"_Is it alright to have a bad person… as your most important person…?" He turned his head slightly to glance at her, eyes darkening in an almost challenging demeanor. "Is it?"_

_He spoke as though he was soulless. Uncaringly sadistic, masochistic…a killer, a sinner, and a sin: she knew it all. But she knew the truth. She knew what could be found buried deep inside. She knew the man, not the monster._

"_Why do you speak as though… you **are**… a bad person?" she asked softly._

_His stare hardened. "I don't… understand you."_

"_Gaara…"_

"_No. I don't. I don't understand what you see when you look at me."_

_She giggled. Confused, his expression turned from stern to that of child-like curiosity. _

"_Well," she said with a smile. "That's easy…"_

"That's enough, Sakura." Gaara replied through gritted teeth. At a side-glance, he narrowed his eyes threateningly and turned away. "Let's go."

Arms folded as usual, he walked back in the direction their apartment with civilians practically diving out of his way.

She sighed, placing a hand against her forehead.

He could be so unreasonable. So terribly unreasonable.

As soon as they were home, she could already predict what would happen: Gaara would head off to sulk, or better yet, continue their fight and knock over some furniture in the process. He didn't like fighting with Sakura, even more so when she was right, but it all prompted him to fight with her even more.

_I don't have the energy for this, _Sakura thought glumly as she followed him from several steps behind. She watched with slight intimidation as he violently pushed their front door open and marched in without so much as glancing in her direction.

She walked up the steps with a smirk. It was a particular scenario she knew all too well. Whatever the direction, the overall result simply involved putting up with a grumpy Gaara for several hours. Most of the time, she'd consider herself lucky if all he did was pout somewhere out of her way.

As soon as she had stepped foot into their doorway, a hand clasped around her wrist and pulled her inside. When the door was securely closed behind her, Sakura was roughly pushed against it.

_And now it's lecture time…_

Much to her surprise however, he didn't say a word. As he held her firmly by the shoulders, the emerald intensity beaming from his eyes no longer reflected fury or anger. Curious, she parted her lips to question his silence. But before any sound could escape, Gaara quickly had his lips crushed against hers.

In many aspects, of course, Gaara was a predominant, violence-driven male. Yet, there was one particularly wicked side to that characteristic that Sakura just couldn't ignore: Gaara had to be in control. He would never let Sakura run the show. He proved this constantly by gripping her wrists in captivity, holding them down against the sheets so she had no choice but to submit… not that there were many objections.

They often came together. She would cry out and claw her nails against his skin. He would collapse over her, spent, growling her name softly and nipping at her collarbone.

Like a lock and key, so to speak, they were a match.

"_You want to know what I see when I look at you, Gaara?"_

"_I…" He shook his head, eyes softening as he looked away from her. "I don't want to know sometimes."_

"_What are you afraid of?"_

_His features hardened. "I'm not afraid of anything, Sakura."_

_She rolled her eyes and moved to kneel infront of him. Throwing caution to the wind, she draped one arm around his neck and rested the other on his shoulder, inviting him affectionately to take comfort against her. _

"_Then if you need to know…" she told him softly. "All I see is you."_

_He looked up at her, half out of skepticism, half out of …amazement. _

_There was no more to be said after that. He had decided he was satisfied with such an answer. Perhaps it was all he really needed to hear._

"_Don't…" he began quietly, leaning to rest his forehead against the crook of her neck. "Don't ever leave me…"_

"Sakura," Gaara managed to murmur between kisses. Still holding her passionately against the doorframe, he reluctantly pulled away to face her. There was an odd twist in his behavior that Sakura didn't quite recognize. Instantly, the feeling of dread began to creep its way through her stomach when she did.

"What is it?" she asked through short breaths, though she was sure of what he would say.

His intense green eyes, once locked firmly on hers, slowly began to drift as he opened his mouth to speak. He knew Sakura hated hearing this:

"I have to leave... again."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** Okay, so I was wrong. Apparently I feel like stretching this story to another chapter or two. Wahaha... Well, I'd like to emphasize the unique style of their relationship. I think the ending would lack relevence without it, so... Anyway, thanks for waiting for chapter 3! Your reviews give me joy bubbles :) Oh! And for those of you keeping up to date with the Naruto manga (around chapter 281) daammnn does Gaara look good!

**Protect Me  
**Leanne Ashley

Chapter 3

Sakura's eyes wouldn't stop burning as tears cascaded down her cheeks and over the ridge of her nose. She lay in bed on her side, struggling to get a hold of herself as she brought her knuckles to her lips.

_Stop it, you wimp! _Inner Sakura scolded. _Why must you do this to yourself every time Gaara has to leave? He'd be disgusted with you._

She couldn't stand him leaving. For days, sometimes weeks, he would be gone and she was left alone to wait in anxiety, fear and emptiness. Dark, painful, complete and utter emptiness. No… not a happy place to be. His departures were slowly killing her.

Gaara had announced he would be leaving her again for another mission. Sakura had been less than pleased. She pushed him away angrily and demanded to know why he was always so willing to leave and how he could be so damn careless with her emotions.

He scowled in fury and argued that living with her in Konoha should've already been enough to prove his devotion to her. He had left his home, his village, and his people just to be with her as much as he could.

Hell, he hadn't killed anyone either… randomly anyway. All pent-up frustrations from this had to be relieved using other alternatives. This of course was obvious given the amount of ungodly bent spoons and forks in her kitchen drawers.

Enraged by Sakura's ungratefulness for his efforts, he stormed out, kicking a chair clear across the room in the process.

She closed her eyes in anticipation, and as the wooden chair shattered loudly against the wall, she cringed and slid to her knees against the doorframe behind her.

She didn't know where he went. Dreading the worst possibility, she feared that he had gone ahead and left on his mission without saying goodbye. Separating on such hateful terms… she felt the need to break something to relieve her anxiety.

_Maybe he was right… _Sakura thought bitterly. _Why do I always have to have those whiney outbursts?_

She glanced at her calendar and sighed. _His missions are usually a week or two long… I guess we can talk it over when he comes back._

She frowned inwardly. _…**If** he comes back. _

"Damnit…"

She closed her eyes, trapping the liquid heat behind the tenseness of her eyelids. It would be a painful ordeal, but she would force herself to fall asleep.

* * *

It had been much later in the evening when Sakura felt her back being pulled against a hard chest. Her eyes fluttered open at the sudden contact, but she immediately recognized the presence behind her. 

"Sakura…"

She could feel his heated breath against the back of her neck.

"You didn't leave…?" Sakura whispered, surprise clearly evident in the tonality of her voice.

"No…" Gaara said slowly, puzzled that she had even considered the idea of him abandoning her in such a way. "But I'll still have to eventually."

He paused.

"You know that, Sakura."

"Yeah…" she sighed in defeat. "I know."

Reaching an arm up behind her, she slid a hand against Gaara's neck, inviting him closer. She wanted to forget about being angry. Truthfully, she was just relieved that he hadn't left. His embrace tightened as he nuzzled his face against Sakura's delicate pink hair, "Are you upset?"

"Of course I am," she stated simply.

A deep, throaty chuckle escaped him. Somehow, his cherry blossom could still be blunt and stubborn without the aid of being shrill to emphasize.

In a rough instant, Gaara had Sakura on her back. He held her hands by her head, entwining their fingers as he stared intently into her eyes.

"Don't go anywhere while I'm gone."

She pouted slightly. "You know I need to train—"

"Don't go anywhere, Sakura," he repeated darkly. "No leaving the village for missions. You're still inexperienced, and I can't be there to protect you."

Now, over the years Sakura had moved far from being the weakest link amongst her peers. With the fifth Hokage as her teacher, she was more than capable of protecting herself. Gaara, however, chose to ignore this and remained undeviatingly protective if there was the slightest potential of Sakura being harmed.

If she had a mission, Gaara gave the usual who, when, where, why, followed by the inevitable no.

They would argue till their throats were parched. She called him stupid and stubborn, while he in turn called her naïve and careless. She argued furiously that he was being unfair since he left on missions all the time, missions in which she was never allowed to accompany. It was another of their routines: fed up with all the yelling and cursing, Gaara would march off and eventually end up at the Hokage's office, demanding menacingly that he be allowed to 'supervise' the very mission Sakura was involved with. More often than not, his affection for the pink-haired girl was often displayed through temper tantrums.

"You tell me this every time…Just stay then!" Sakura began pleadingly. "Stay with me! Protect me! Do whatever you want! I won't get mad anymore… You're the Kazekage for godsakes, why do you still insist on going on missions?"

He scowled at her outburst. It was enough to mentally smack her down as vibrant green eyes lowered in defeat. "…Why… why do you have to leave…"

Realizing his habitual death-glare was out of line, he shook it off and diverted his eyes guiltily. "I can't… stand leaving you... When I'm gone on missions, I grow… impatient, angry, frustrated, everything. I just want to get the hell out of there and get back to you." His eyes narrowed slightly. "I need you to understand that."

Sakura nodded slowly, rubbing her fingers soothingly against his to let him know she was listening.

"But," Gaara continued. "What I do has to be done. A-Rank missions can't be done by just anyone."

She sprang forward, eyes widening in surprise. "A-Rank? This is another A-Rank mission?"

"Sakura…" he warned.

"How could you not tell me? Jeez, you idiot! You're always on missions to kill yoursel—!"

"Akatsuki has been spotted near Suna."

Taken aback, she swallowed hard. _Oh no…_

"Akatsuki… the ones who tried to kidnap Naruto before?"

"Yes," he answered stiffly. "And I'm next. They'll attack Suna looking for me. I have to protect my village."

"But…" She stopped herself quickly. To argue further would be selfish on her behalf; Gaara was more than dedicated to protecting his village and his people. It was his home after all, and it was hard enough having to keep tabs on his village while staying with her in Konoha. She had no right to stop him.

"Then," she looked up at him hopefully. "Let me—"

"You're not coming with me," he snapped.

She let out an irritated sigh. "I'm not as weak as you think I am."

"That's not the point."

"Then let me come with you."

He released one of her hands and gripped her chin. "I said no."

"Fine…" she muttered, jerking her head away. She despised being treated so childishly when he began losing patience with her.

"Promise me then…" she said quietly. "That you'll be careful?"

Gaara's head tipped curiously to the side. "…What does—How do I 'promise' you…?"

Anger vanishing quickly, she giggled despite herself. He may treat her childishly at times, but he could be more of a child overall. He knew almost every word in the dictionary, but the meanings of certain terms and phrases, when expressed emotionally rather than logically, would fly clear over his head.

Once, she had called him 'cute' after an outburst. He stared at her for a good ten minutes trying to figure out what the hell she meant.

"When someone asks you to do something, and you promise… then, you have to do it no matter what," Sakura explained. "You can't break a promise."

He wrinkled the space between his eyes in confusion. "You… want me to sign a contract?"

For the first time that night, she burst out laughing. "No, no… it's not like that!"

"Not like what?"

"Forget that you're a Kazekage for a couple seconds. It's not suppose to be like a legal document."

"Then what stops me from breaking a promise?"

"You do," she said poking him playfully in the chest. "It's an agreement from the heart."

"I… see…"

Gaara captured her hand as she poked him. Lifting Sakura's delicate fingers to his lips, he kissed them tenderly before clutching them back against his chest.

"So if I _promise_ to stay out of danger, then I can ask you to do the same?"

She smiled rolling her eyes. "Well… I guess that's only fair."

He smiled back almost wickedly as he pressed his lips to hers. She could only run a hand briefly through his unruly red hair before he had her arms pinned to the bed.

Gaara never got bored of exploring his cherry blossom. His lips trailed across her face, relishing the salty tears that were once streaked across her cheeks. Everything about her tasted so pure, so amazing…

Indeed, she was in for a night of ravagement… he would make sure of that.

But, he would be gone the next morning. She knew she would be waking up alone in her quiet apartment. His impression, his scent… both perhaps still present against her pillows. She would cherish this moment, cherish the feeling of his heated skin against hers, the feeling of his breath as he nuzzled his face into her neck.

Together, they reached euphoria. He fell against her, holding her tightly against his chest. Their rapid breathing slowed, and sparkling green met fiery emerald… Gaara kissed Sakura softly on the forehead as he lay to rest beside her. She ran a hand against his cheek, memorizing his face, knowing it could be days before she saw him again.

And as they drifted to sleep, she couldn't help but smile as Gaara muttered quietly:

"I'm sorry I broke the chair…"


End file.
